Magnetic shelf unit for a locker

ABSTRACT

A shelf unit for a metallic locker including at least one set of legs, and a first shelf lying horizontally in the metallic locker on top of the set of legs. Each leg set includes at least three legs having a foot at their bottom and a head at their top, at least one of the legs being magnetic for attaching to the side wall of the metallic locker. A kit consisting of the components of the shelf unit is also provided.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 11/201,582, filed Aug.11, 2005, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/999,877, filed on Nov.30, 2004 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,529, issued Dec. 6, 2005).

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed toward shelf units, and particularlytoward shelf units usable in metal lockers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND TECHNICAL PROBLEMS POSED BY THE PRIORART

Lockers are widely used in a variety of places, including schools,airports, bus stations, etc. Some uses are relatively transient, shortterm or infrequent. For example, locker type structures may be used forlong or short term storage by individuals, where access to the storedmaterials is only infrequently had. However, in many cases the lockersare used over a long period of time, with the user making frequentaccess to the locker. Schools are a common example where lockers are soused, with a student keeping a specific locker for an entire school yearand going into their locker to place or retrieve items (e.g., books,coats, boots, etc.) multiple times each school day. Each locker may beused in that manner for decades by scores of different students. Ofcourse, in such facilities where frequent use is expected over a periodof years, the lockers are typically made of a suitable strong anddurable material such as steel or other hard metals.

While many school lockers will have, for example, a shelf at the top ofthe locker, many students using such lockers wish to have the ability toorganize items in their locker to a greater extent than that singleshelf may permit. Therefore, students have heretofore added their ownshelf units at the bottom of their lockers. Such shelf units have been,for example, free standing structures which extend across less than thefull width of the locker, where the structure is put into the lockerfully assembled. Still other shelf units have been used which requireassembly within the locker. While those shelf units have the advantageof permitting the shelves to potentially span substantially the fullwidth of the locker (i.e., since the door opening of the locker istypically narrower than the locker interior space, making pre-assembledunits difficult to get into the locker), they can be difficult toassemble and can be relatively flimsy even after assembled.

The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of theproblems set forth above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a shelf unit for a metalliclocker is provided, including at least one set of legs, each leg setincluding at least three legs having a foot at their bottom and a headat their top, at least one of the legs being magnetic for attaching tothe side wall of the metallic locker, and a first shelf lyinghorizontally in the metallic locker on top of the set of legs.

In one form of this aspect of the invention, a second set of legs and asecond shelf are provided, wherein at least one of the legs of thesecond leg set is magnetic for attaching to the side wall of themetallic locker, the second leg set being stackable above the firstshelf. In a further form, the feet of the second leg set include alongitudinally extending flange extending from the bottom of a laterallyextending flange, and the first shelf includes at least three recessesadjacent a peripheral lip on the upper side of the first shelf, wherebythe feet of the second leg set are disposed on the peripheral lip withthe longitudinally extending flange extending to the bottom of therecess.

In a further form of this aspect of the invention, each leg set includesfour legs.

In another form of this aspect of the invention, each leg of the leg setis magnetic for attaching to the side walls of the metallic locker.

In still another form of this aspect of the invention, the legs comprisea first material, and further include magnets secured at spacedpositions along the length of the legs. In a further form, the firstmaterial is plastic.

In yet another form of this aspect of the invention, recesses are on thefirst shelf underside, and the leg heads are received in the recesses.In a further form, the legs include a column portion between their feetand head, the leg heads comprise laterally extending flanges at theupper end of the legs, and the recesses are open at the perimeter of thefirst shelf whereby the shelf may be supported at positions laterallyspaced from the column portion.

In another aspect of the present invention, a kit is provided for makinga shelf unit in a metallic locker, including at least one set of legs,each leg set including at least three legs having a column portionbetween a foot and a head, at least one of the legs being magnetic alongthe column portion, and a first shelf having an underside adapted to besupported on the heads of the legs when the column portions aresubstantially vertical.

In one form of this aspect of the present invention, a second set oflegs and a second shelf are provided, wherein at least one of the legsof the second leg set is magnetic along its column portion. In a furtherform, the feet of the second leg set include a longitudinally extendingflange extending from the bottom of a laterally extending flange, andthe first shelf includes at least three recesses adjacent a peripherallip on the upper side of the first shelf.

In a further form of this aspect of the invention, each leg set includesfour legs.

In another form of this aspect of the invention, each leg of the leg setis magnetic along its column portion.

In still another form of this aspect of the invention, the legs comprisea first material, and further include magnets secured at spacedpositions along the length of the legs. In a further form, the firstmaterial is plastic.

In yet another form of this aspect of the invention, recesses are on thefirst shelf underside sized to receive the leg heads. In a further form,the legs include laterally extending flanges at the upper end of thelegs, and the underside recesses are open at the perimeter of the firstshelf.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one shelf unit according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the FIG. 1 shelf unit;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a two shelf unit according to thepresent invention assembled in a locker;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the FIG. 3 unit;

FIG. 5 is a detailed cross-sectional view showing stacked legs and ashelf assembled in a locker; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-2 illustrate a shelf unit 10 according to the present invention.In the advantageous embodiment illustrated, the shelf unit 10 includes ashelf 14 and four legs 18. The legs 18 each include a column portion 20having a head 22 on the upper end and a foot 24 on the lower end.

The shelf 14 includes openings 28 therethrough to allow dirt and thelike to pass through without accumulating on the shelf 14, and also toallow the locker user to more easily see objects beneath the shelf 14. Alip 30 may also be provided around the perimeter of the shelf 14 toassist in maintaining items on the shelf 14 and to provide somereinforcement against bending of the shelf 14. A lattice of ribs 34 mayalso be provided on the underside of the shelf 14 to provide furtherrigidity against bending. Recesses 38 adjacent the corners beside thelip 30 are provided on the upper side of the shelf 14 for receiving thefeet 24 of legs 18 stacked thereon in multi-shelf units as described ingreater detail below. Recesses 40 are also provided in the underside atthe corners of the shelf 14 for receiving the head 22 of the legs 18.

The leg column portion 20 is generally vertically oriented when in use.As illustrated, the column portions 20 include cutouts 44 (to reducematerial requirements) and strengthening vertical ribs 46 on the edgesand transverse reinforcing ribs 48.

In accordance with the present invention, the column portions 20 aremagnetic along their height. In the illustrated embodiment, suitablemagnets 50 are suitably secured along the height of the column portions20. In the embodiment illustrated, flat rectangular magnets 50 aresuitably secured (e.g., by adhesives) to the outer face of the columnportions 20. Recesses may be provided in the outer face to facilitatethe securing of the magnets 50 to the column portions 20.

As described in further detail hereafter, the provision of magneticcolumn portions 20 not only assists in easing assembly of the shelf unit10, but it also provides reinforcement along the column portion heightby securing them to the rigid walls of the locker. Such reinforcementallows even narrow, flimsy legs which have a good compressive strengthto support large weights on the supported shelf, since the magneticconnection to the locker walls assists in ensuring that the columnportions 20 will maintain a vertical orientation and not buckle or bend.

The heads 22 of the legs 18 as illustrated include laterally extendingflanges 54. These flanges 54 are sized and shaped so that they may bereceived in the recesses 40 in the shelf 14. It should be appreciated,however, that the flanges 54 and the open-sided recesses 40 asillustrated will also provide flexibility in assembly for different sizelockers. Specifically, if the locker is slightly wider than the shelf14, the extension of the flanges 54 will provide support to the shelf 14even though the shelf 14 does not reach fully to the locker wall. Itshould be appreciated that in such cases (in which the shelf 14 does notextend above the column portions 20), the weight of the shelf 14 andsupported items may thus introduce a bending moment to the columnportions 20, and that the magnets 50 advantageously serve as additionalreinforcement against such bending.

The feet 24 of the legs 18 also include lateral flanges 58 havingdownwardly, longitudinally extending flanges 60 (see particularly FIG.6) which are laterally spaced from the column portions 20. These feet 24will provide a suitable base for the shelf unit 10, and further may beadvantageously stacked on top of a shelf 14 in multi-shelf units 10 asdescribed further below.

FIG. 3 illustrates two shelf units 10 such as illustrated in FIGS. 1-2stacked on top of one another in a locker 70. This configuration mayalternately be called two shelf units 10 or one two shelf unit 10′.Assembly of the unit 10 will be described here.

First, the bottom legs 18 may be generally positioned in the locker 70,with the legs being held in place by magnetic connection to the sidewalls of the locker 70. The bottom shelf 14 may then be moved into thelocker 70 by first tipping the shelf 14 to fit through the narrowerlocker door opening, and then tipping the shelf 14 back to a horizontalorientation. The shelf 14 may then be lowered in that horizontalorientation to the top of the legs 18, and the legs 18 may be adjustedto ensure that their head 22 is received in the shelf underside recesses40. It should be appreciated that as the shelf 14 is moved into thelocker 70, the user will not be required to somehow simultaneously holdall four legs to maintain them in their desired position andorientation. Further, as each leg 18 is individually adjusted to shiftit to the proper position beneath the shelf 14, there is no problem withthe other legs 18 becoming disconnected or otherwise misoriented. Thatis, the shelf 14 may be readily placed on top of the legs 18 duringassembly and each leg 18 suitably and individually adjusted to positionit properly beneath the associated recesses 40. The assembly problemencountered with some prior units (in which the legs must be connectedto the shelf within the confined space of the locker, with some legsbeing inadvertently disconnected when other legs are being connected)may thus be avoided.

After the first (bottom) shelf 14 has been placed, another set of legs18 are positioned above the shelf 14, with their feet 24 in the recesses38 on the upper side of the first shelf 14. Specifically, as shown inFIGS. 5-6, the bottom of the leg column portions 20 rest on the lip 30and each longitudinally extending flange 60 projects down into theassociated recess 38 so as to rest on the bottom of the recess 38. (Itshould be understood that variations from perfect tolerances couldresult in the bottom of the column portion 20 or the longitudinallyextending flange 60 of any leg 18 being slightly spaced from the shelf14 rather than abutting to it. Nevertheless, normal shifting ofcomponents and distortion of the components will naturally result inabutment where such support is required.) It should be appreciated thatthis connection of the upper legs 18 will allow for variances betweenlocker size and shelf size. That is, if the shelf 14 is smaller than thelocker, the upper legs 18 may still be magnetically connected to thelocker walls, in which case the feet 24 of the legs 18 may not restwholly over the shelf 14, and the longitudinally extending flange 60will be positioned within the recess 38 but more closely to the shelflip 30.

With the upper legs 18 supported in a vertical orientation by theirmagnetic connection to the walls of the locker 70, the second (upper)shelf 14 may then be placed on top of the legs 18 in the same manner aswas the bottom shelf 14 as described above.

A kit may be advantageously provided consisting of one or more leg setsand shelves 14, whereby a person such as a student who has a locker mayreadily purchase and install the shelf unit 10 within the separatelocker.

It should be appreciated that different shelf constructions than the oneillustrated in the figures could be advantageously used with the presentinvention. For example, solid surface shelves could be used where it isdesired to prevent any objects from falling through the shelves.Further, suitable adjustable size shelves (e.g., telescoping shelfcomponents) could also be provided to permit ready use in differentwidth lockers.

It should also be appreciated that the legs 18 of the shelf unit 10 ofthe present invention could be configured differently than shown, solong as the legs 18 are in some manner magnetically attracted to thewalls of the locker. For example, more or fewer magnets 50 may beprovided on the legs, and of different sizes than illustrated, whilestill maintaining at least some advantages of the present invention. Inaddition, magnet(s) 50 could be secured to the legs 18 differently thanillustrated in the figures (e.g., by mechanical connection, integralformation with the leg, or by the entire leg itself being magnetic).Moreover, it should be appreciated that some aspects of the advantagesof the present invention could be obtained if only a single leg 18 of aleg set is magnetic.

Further, it should be appreciated that the present invention may be usedin shelf units having less or more than four legs, and with legs atother than the corners of the shelf so long as the legs are disposedadjacent the locker walls so that they may be magnetically attracted andsecured thereto.

Still other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present inventioncan be obtained from a study of the specification, the drawings, and theappended claims. It should be understood, however, that the presentinvention could be used in alternate forms where less than all of theobjects and advantages of the present invention and preferred embodimentas described above would be obtained.

1. A shelf unit for a metallic locker, comprising: at least one set oflegs, each leg set including at least three legs having a foot at theirbottom and a head at their top, said at least three legs being magneticfor attaching to the side wall of the metallic locker; a first shelflying horizontally in the metallic locker on top of said set of legs. 2.The shelf unit of claim 1, further comprising a second set of legs and asecond shelf, wherein at least one of said legs of said second leg setis magnetic for attaching to the side wall of the metallic locker, saidsecond leg set being stackable above said first shelf.
 3. The shelf unitof claim 1, further comprising recesses on the first shelf underside,said leg heads being received in said recesses.
 4. The shelf unit ofclaim 3, wherein said legs include a column portion between their feetand head; said leg heads comprise laterally extending flanges at theupper end of said legs; and said recesses are open at the perimeter ofsaid first shelf whereby said shelf may be supported at positionslaterally spaced from said column portion.
 5. A kit for making a shelfunit in a metallic locker, comprising: at least one set of legs, eachleg set including at least three legs having a column portion between afoot and a head, said at least three legs being magnetic along saidcolumn portion; a first shelf having an underside adapted to besupported on the heads of said legs when said column portions aresubstantially vertical.
 6. The kit of claim 5, further comprising asecond set of legs and a second shelf, wherein at least one of said legsof said second leg set is magnetic along its column portion.
 7. The kitof claim 6, wherein said feet of said second leg set include alongitudinally extending flange extending from the bottom of a laterallyextending flange, and said first shelf includes at least three recessesadjacent a peripheral lip on the upper side of said first shelf.
 8. Thekit of claim 5, wherein each leg set includes four legs.
 9. The kit ofclaim 5, wherein each leg of said leg set is magnetic along its columnportion.
 10. The kit of claim 5, wherein said legs comprise a firstmaterial, and further include magnets secured at spaced positions alongthe length of said legs.
 11. The kit of claim 10, wherein said firstmaterial is plastic.
 12. The kit of claim 5, further comprising recesseson the first shelf underside sized to receive said leg heads.
 13. Thekit of claim 12, wherein said leg heads comprise laterally extendingflanges at the upper end of said legs; and said underside recesses areopen at the perimeter of said first shelf.
 14. A shelf unit for ametallic locker, comprising: at least one set of legs, each leg setincluding at least three legs having a foot at their bottom and a headat their top, said at least three legs being magnetic for attaching tothe side wall of the metallic locker; a first shelf lying horizontallyin the metallic locker on the head of said set of legs, with said firstshelf movable toward and away from the locker side wall relative to theheads of said at least three legs.
 15. The shelf unit of claim 14, saidfirst shelf including flat horizontal surfaces resting on said heads ofsaid at least three legs, said horizontal surfaces being open on theside facing the locker side wall.
 16. The shelf unit of claim 14,wherein each leg of said set of legs is magnetic for attaching to one ofthe side walls of the metallic locker, and said first shelf is movabletoward and away from each locker side wall relative to the leg heads onwhich the first shelf lies.
 17. The shelf unit of claim 16, said firstshelf being generally rectangular and including flat horizontal surfacesadjacent each corner which lie on the heads of the legs of the leg set,said horizontal surfaces being open on the side facing the locker sidewall.
 18. The shelf unit of claim 16, said first shelf being generallyrectangular and including flat horizontal surfaces adjacent each cornerwhich lie on the heads of the legs of the leg set, said horizontalsurfaces being open at the perimeter of the shelf at each corner. 19.The shelf unit of claim 18, wherein each leg set includes four legs, andsaid legs are under the corners of said first shelf.
 20. The shelf unitof claim 19, further comprising recesses on the first shelf underside,wherein said leg heads are received in said recesses; said legs includea column portion between their feet and head, said column portions beingmagnetic for attachment to locker side walls; said leg heads compriseflanges at the upper ends of said legs extending laterally away fromsaid adjacent locker side walls to which said column portions aremagnetically attached; and said recesses are open at the perimeter ofsaid first shelf whereby said shelf may be supported at positionslaterally spaced from said column portion.